Diastereoselective synthesis of pyrrolidines via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a chiral azomethine ylide

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of d-glucose-derived azomethine ylides for the synthesis of chiral pyrrolidines accompanied an unexpected 1,2-elimination in the furanose moiety of the products. The C3′ alkoxy/hydroxy group of the furanose moiety was invariably eliminated under the reaction conditions. Also, in contrast to the previous reports, moderate to good exo-diastereoselectivity was observed in the reaction products.